Search - Jean Sibelius, Neeme Järvi, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra :: Sibelius: The Symphonies; Tone Poems [Box Set]

A Superb Introduction to Sibelius

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 02/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This box contains nearly all of Sibelius's major orchestral music, in superb performances under a noted interpreter of Scandanavian music, in collaboration with a virtuosic ensemble that is thoroughly steeped in the idiom, and vividly recorded. As such it represents remarkable value for a modest investment. Similar sets abound--Berglund/EMI, Barbirolli/EMI, Ashkenazy/Decca, Davis/BMG--but this one, in my estimation, trumps them all.



Järvi knows this music inside out, yet conveys the freshness of new discovery even in such hackneyed works as the Second Symphony, *Finlandia*, and the *Swan of Tuonela*. He has the measure of Sibelius's northern sensibilities, but doesn't overdo the bleakness; on the other hand, there is a forthrightness, even a toughness to his interpretations that well suit a composer who fairly early in his career turned rather decisively from lush romanticism to a more restrained neo-classicism. Thus Järvi resists overplaying the rhetoric in the finale of the Third and the Fifth, while he vividly evokes the chilly landscpes of the Sixth, Seventh and *Tapiola* (whose central "storm" episode is as terrifying as one could wish, even if, at a rather brisk tempo, it doesn't build as inexorably as Karajan's stunning EMI account). I also appreciated Järvi's headstrong but nuanced First and Second, which convey a sense of eager anticipation that make them sound newly-minted.



A generous serving of tone poems and shorter orchestral works, including the *Four Legends* (but regrettably not the *Kullervo Symphony*), benefit from Järvi's crisply articulated rhythms and cleanly delineated textures. *Night Ride and Sunrise* sweeps one along in a whirlwind of passion--yet it is passion under control, and that is exactly right for Sibelius. *Andante Festivo* is as haunting as one could wish. *Luonnatar* is spectacularly well sung, and it's cosmic vision is communicated with extraordinary vividness.



The one relative disappointment for me was Järvi's appropriately introverted but less than involving Fourth Symphony. But my impressions might have been shaped by an abiding admiration for Karajan's and Maazel's more overtly expressive accounts of the score. But even when he is not firing on all cylinders, Järvi is never less than elegant and always atmospheric in Sibelius--and that counts for more than superficial excitement.



So don't hesitate to purchase this set if you're seeking something like a "basic library edition" of Sibelius's important orchestral music. You won't be disappointed. Järvi is more interesting than Davis or Berglund, leaner and meaner than Barbirolli (to be sure), better played and recorded than Sakari (though not by much), far more idiomatic than Ashkenazy's "Slavic" or Karajan's "Prussian" Sibelius (much though I enjoy the results of those misconceptions!).



In short--a best buy, despite the absence of a booklet with annotations."